SCCG Weekly Newsletter Volume 40
Volume 40 | May 13, 2021
WEEKLY EDITION
May 6, 2021
Las Vegas to Fully Reopen on June 1, 2021!
by Stephen Crystal
Founder, SCCG Management
It's been a busy day today!
Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a change in their mask-wearing recommendations, saying fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks "outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings." The CDC's guidance still recommends masks in crowded indoor settings, such as public transportation, hospitals, and the like. Because Nevada Governor Sisolak signed an emergency directive on May 3, aligning state and CDC mask usage policy, this change was made immediately for Nevada.
Furthermore, effective today, the CDC has approved vaccination for children ages 12-15 to move the US closer to herd immunity.
While the Nevada governor gave its counties the discretion to change its COVID prevention policies beginning May 1, 2021, all Nevada counties will be permitted to reopen on June 1, 2021, fully.
Steve Hill, president, and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said of the June 1 reopening, "The wide availability and rapid administration of vaccines will allow our valued events industry to reconvene with confidence and in its entirety," telling the Las Vegas Sun, "Las Vegas will continue providing the gold standard for health, wellness and safety precautions for the benefit of its workforce, the community and our visitors."
Given all this, what are other signs of the full reopening of Las Vegas?
Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group reported in a statement:
"Mystere" will reopen at Treasure Island on June 28, and "O" at the Bellagio will reopen on July 1. Both shows are expected to run at full capacity, without social distancing, in their theaters of 1,800 and 1,600 seats, respectively.
The Blue Man Group show will return to Las Vegas on June 24.
It is expected that "The Beatles Love" will return to the Mirage in July.
"Michael Jackson One" [will return to] to Mandalay Bay in late August
"KA" to the MGM Grand in September or October, Lamarre told the Las Vegas Sun.
We will see changes on the casino floor as well. Wynn Resorts announced that the gaming floors at Wynn and Encore would operate at 100% capacity. All plexiglass dividers have been removed from table games and slot machines, as approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Most Las Vegas casinos will be making similar alterations in recognition of these COVID policy changes.
Las Vegas has made it through 400 days of COVID protocols, and our familiar summer sunshine is looking like a light at the end of the tunnel for the casino and tourism industry.
If you're ready to talk about how you can bring best-in-class solutions for engaging the customers as they open the gates on pent-up demand, please reach out. We're ready to talk.
Client Partners related to Today's Feature Article
SCCG Management works with our clients to bring best in class solutions to the entire gaming vertical, including client partners such as:
Bettorlogic - AI and Data Driven CRM platform that gives bettors a reason to place a bet.
LSports - Realtime sports data API solution.
Scout Gaming Group - Premium social/fantasy sports wagering content and platform.
Triggy - Live score messaging provider.
Picklebet - Full featured online esports betting platform
Shank Marketing - Multichannel digital marketing strategy and traditional advertising services.
Hollywood TV - A network of studios creating live games, deployable in a multi-channel experience.
Spinmatic Entertainment - Online HTML5 casino games with the highest standards for data encryption.
Check out these and our other related client partners below!
Related Client Partners
Liked the article? Check out our Client Partners below.
WELCOME TO YOUR ROUNDUP OF EUROPEAN IGAMING NEWS
Our European weekly iGaming feature article summarizes the thoughts of Jake Pollard, an experienced journalist and editor who has covered the online gaming and betting industry for many years. He has written for the leading media outlets as well as operators and suppliers in the igaming space. His areas of focus are wide-ranging and include regulatory developments in the US, emerging markets in South America and how European countries are adapting to a decade of igaming regulation.
As a busy Summer of sporting events approaches and much of Europe returns to (a degree of) normality, there is an air of optimism that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Caution is urged, but talk of an economic recovery, or vaccine bounce as it’s called in the UK, abounds.
And as people head outside to enjoy the sunshine and socialise, the seasonal impact of second and third quarters is expected to hit European online operators’ revenues. So far, so predictable. However, from a broader perspective it can also be argued that Europe’s iGaming industry is emerging stronger and in a less volatile place than when lockdowns started just over a year ago.
In pure business terms, online gambling companies have benefited from customers switching to online verticals as retail outlets closed during the different lockdowns imposed across the continent. For example, Italy data for the month of February clearly shows how important online has become and also how operators have addressed advertising bans.
On the reputational side, they have been actively promoting responsible gambling messages and encouraged players to limit their play or self-exclude, while also initiating voluntary marketing blackouts. It is hard to gauge how successful that corporate responsibility drive has been for the industry’s image or even when it comes to hard statistics, but there is no doubt all major operators have put player safety at the heart of their strategies.
All these issues affect operators in multiple ways, but they have also happened in countries where the atmosphere, broadly, is not friendly towards gambling. Is this likely to change post-pandemic? Unlikely, but it is worth noting that many observers had grave concerns about the online industry’s prospects when lockdowns were imposed in March 2020 and ever harsher restrictions and rising rates of problem gambling were widely predicted.
Thankfully this has not come to pass and instead digital channels have shown that they play an important role when it comes to revenues, growth and social responsibility.
Results highlights
First quarter results season is coming to an end. As mentioned, online verticals have proved highly valuable to the sector and most operators’ results bode well for the future. Interestingly, major groups such as IGT praised their digital offerings and pledged to develop them further. Wynn Resorts also joined the iGaming revolution by setting up Wynn Interactive. CEO Matt Maddox also made a telling comment when he said staff at the group’s resorts had embraced online initiatives and were completely onboard with the project. Bridging that cultural divide can be one of the biggest challenges so it’s good to hear it’s starting on a positive note at ground level.
SCCG Management: New and Upcoming Events
STEPHEN CRYSTAL IN LAS VEGAS THROUGH END OF MAY
Stephen Crystal will be in Las Vegas at the SCCG office through the end of May.
If you are interested in meeting with in Steve in Las Vegas during this time, please contact him directly at stephen.crystal@sccgmanagement.com.
SCCG Management is located at 105 E. Reno Avenue, Suite 8, Las Vegas, NV, 89119
Stephen Crystal, Founder, SCCG Management, announces the addition of Brent Winston to its Canada Business Development unit.
LAS VEGAS, NV, USA, May 12, 2021 / sccgmanagement.com / -- Stephen Crystal, Founder of SCCG Management, announced today that they had added Brent Winston to their existing Canada business development team in response to developing single-game sports betting opportunities.
Stephen Crystal of SCCG Management announces a partnership to bring SUZOHAPP sports betting technology to US Sportsbooks.
Las Vegas, NV, United States – March 16, 2021 / sccgmanagement.com / -- Stephen Crystal, SCCG Founder, announced today that the company had joined forces with Suzo Happ, an industry-leading technology solutions provider, bringing best-in-class industry solutions since 1955. Said Crystal, "We see Suzo Happ's offerings for North American sports betting operators as the kinds of technology that allow companies to deploy their services to customers through robust, reliable, tested hardware solutions."